Jewelry Terminology - Original Sin Designs

jewelry terms and definitions

- For Gemstone Terms click the button at the bottom of the page -

Alloy - Combination of different metals fused together. A base metal melded with a precious metal to make it workable, to harden it, or to change its color.

Anodized – a metal to which a surface layer of oxide has been applied, for decoration or protection, and consolidated via an electrolytic process.

Antique - Any object which is 100 years old or more

Antiquing - A process by which the recessed areas of gold or silver jewelry are darkened, thus lending the look of age or natural patination

Bail - The connector at the top of a pendant, enabling the pendant to hang from a chain or jumpring

Bali Silver - Sterling silver beads, jewelry components and jewelry handcrafted by artisans in Bali in the traditional Balinese style

Bezel - A setting for a stone that has a collar instead of prongs to secure the stone

Choker - A short necklace, generally less than 14" long

Cloisonné - A technique of enameling whereby the enamel (colored glass powder) is placed into pockets or cells of metal, then baked and cooled to solidify. The metal portions have high "walls" to keep the colors from running into each other during firing

Collar - Popular during the Victorian era, a snug-fitting necklace made either of rows of pearls or beads, and usually worn high up on the neck

Enamel - glass powder or paste that is applied to metal, then fired in an annealing oven to melt and fuse the glass onto the metal.

Filigree - Thin strands of wire intricately interlaced or bent into rosettes, spirals, scrolls or vines. The wire is typically gold or silver, and may be plain, twisted, or plaited

Findings – Generic term for construction components used in jewelry making such as clasps, pins, hooks, jumprings, tabs, etc.

Gold-Filled - Base metal on which 0.025 mm of gold is bonded to its surface

Gold-Plated - Base metal which has been bonded with at least 0.0025 mm of gold

Heishi –In contemporary jewelry making Heishi refers to a stone which has been drilled to be strung, and is thick-cut in a “donut” shape with wide borders around the central hole. Coral and stones such as lapis, turquoise, onyx, pipestone and serpentine are also used to create exquisite contemporary heishi necklaces

Hill Tribe Silver (Thai silver) - Thai silver, also known as Hill Tribe silver, originates in northern Thailand using traditional tribal methods passed down from generation to generation. The silver content in Hill Tribes silver is typically 95-99%, even higher than sterling (92.5%). This higher silver content makes the metal softer and therefore easier to shape into all the unique and wonderful styles. No two pieces are exactly alike, attesting to the handmade nature of these beautiful components.

Irridescent - A display of rainbow-like colors. Mother of pearl is a good example of irridescence

Jump Ring - A small oval or round wire ring used to link charms or pendants onto a chain

Liquid Silver - small tubular silver beads which were made by carefully slicing tubes of sterling silver into 1/8" pieces

Marcasite - A mineral with the same composition as pyrite, (fool's gold), and often called "white iron pyrite", but differing in crystal structure. It can be faceted like a gemstone and is often used in sterling silver jewelry

Millefiori - Glass or clay beads originatine in Venice, Italy with embedded floral designs. Millefiori means "a thousand flowers" in Italian

Opaque - Neither transparent nor translucent. An opaque stone will not allow any light to pass through it

Open Back Setting - Setting in which the back of the stone can be seen

Oxidation - The breakdown of a metal over time as a result of a reaction to sulphur and oxygen

Palladium - A charcoal gray form of platinum found in Russia, South Africa and North America. Palladium has many of the same properties as platinum, such as its resistance to corrosion and versatile applications in jewelry designs

Precious metal - Metals valued for their color, malleability, and rarity. There are only three precious metals: gold, silver and platinum

Rhodium - A metal that is a member of the platinum family of metals, but is liquid in its raw, natural state, not solid like platinum. Rhodium can be applied to base metals, gold, sterling silver, or some other alloy, to give it a shiny white surface like platinum. Rhodium-plating is very durable, but very expensive

Seed beads - Tiny glass beads made by slicing tubes into tiny, evenly spaced pieces. This makes them somewhat oblong in shape, rather than round, and flat on the ends

Silvertone - Jewelry finished with a silver color that has the look of sterling, but no actual sterling silver content

Tarnish - A dulled luster or finish caused by a thin deposit of a dirt which discolors the surface of metal and is easily removed. Also a reaction between metals and other chemicals which discolors the surface, particularly silver which reacts with sulfur

Toggle clasp - A means of fastening consisting of a ring on one end and a short bar on the other. The bar is slid through the ring and sits across it so it does not slide or pull

Translucent - Partially transparent. A translucent stone will allow some light through, but it will still be too cloudy to see objects through clearly